Election Returns

The bill, known as the Missouri Business Recruiters Act, would create positions of state business recruiters. The recruiters would lure out-of-state businesses to Missouri and receive compensation for each business relocation equal to 2 percent of the withholding tax received from the relocated jobs.

The bill would require that the jobs have to be retained for one year before the recruiter can receive wages. Also, the recruited jobs must be full-time jobs at or above the national average in wages.

The bill’s sponsor Rep. Delus Johnson, R-Andrew County, said many states already have recruiters to bring in jobs.

“I started noticing how other states were using full-time business recruiters,” Johnson said. “States like New Hampshire, they had full-time business recruiters going into New York state, literally trying to pull companies into New Hampshire.”

He said that under the bill a private contractor can create jobs and will only be paid after bringing jobs to Missouri, which is capped at $3 million.

Rep. Anne Zerr, R-St. Charles County, said the legislature is moving toward more performance based incentives.

“What the state has been going to, at least the legislature, is performance based stuff and this is really in line with that.” Zerr said.